Tim Hortons, The Tire Shop and the Olds Auction Mart were the top winners at this year's Olds and District Chamber of Commerce business awards, which were handed out before an audience of roughly 265 people on Oct. 17 at Olds College.
Tim Hortons was awarded the community spirit award, while The Tire Shop was chosen as the people's choice award winner and the business of the year among businesses with 15 or fewer employees.
The Olds Auction Mart was awarded the business of the year for businesses with more than 16 employees.
Diane Hogeland of the Eagle Hill Co-op was given the award for exceptional customer service and Austin Bel Castro was given the youth employee of the year award.
There were 48 nominees in all six awards categories.
Bel Castro, 17, has worked at Canadian Tire for the past 16 months. In an interview following the awards presentation, he said he's enjoyed his time working at the store and gets along well with co-workers and his manager.
Bel Castro said the best part of working at Canadian Tire so far was a company-sponsored training session he attended at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary where he learned how to sharpen skates and fit hockey equipment on children.
“I'd say when I went for that one day for that hockey camp. I learnt how to fit hockey equipment on kids and sharpen skates,” he said. “It's been pretty good (working at Canadian Tire). There are nice employees and a good manager.”
Doug Rieberger, president of the chamber, said in an interview following the awards that the event gives the chamber the chance to recognize local businesses for their contributions to the community.
“There's a lot of really good businesses in our community and it gives us a chance as a business community to recognize those businesses and those individuals that are doing an exceptional job,” he said.
The chamber currently has about 200 members, a number that has remained fairly constant over the past few years.
Rieberger said the membership strongly supports the chamber and that dedication shows in the support for various events the chamber holds in support of local business. As an example, the chamber conducted a supervisory course over the last year that allowed 16 employees who were not supervisors from various businesses around the area to attend a 12-week program to give them the skills they need to become supervisors.
